Forever After
by Bug Evans
Summary: When Joss Carter's biggest secret is forced into the open, an old acquaintance becomes the key to understanding her own situation.


**A/N:** This story is a slight crossover between Person of Interest and Forever. If you don't watch Forever everything will be explained in the next chapter.

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><p><strong>Fallujah, Iraq – March 2004<strong>

The sound of dirt and gravels being crushed under their heavy military boots was a sound Joss Carter would never get accustomed to. She'd been doing this for four years now and the despair, helplessness, and body count seemed to amplify over the years with each new city they seized under the guise of liberation.

She rarely set foot outside the perimeter of the base; as a top interrogator she didn't need to. However, this time, she made a point of going out on the field. After a prisoner was brought in under the suspicions of terrorist activity, it took over thirty-eight hours of interrogation to make him crack. Accepting her promise to keep his family safe from harm, he eventually gave up the location of the explosives he was forced to hide. It was the second time she'd made this kind of promise. The first had been to a man named Yusef, but she hadn't been able to honor it. She naively believed she'd left him in the hands of men with morals. She refused to let Ali meet the same fate.

They were making their way to the outskirts of the city. The torn down structures had prevented them from moving any further in their vehicles, forcing them to move on foot. The landscape was chaotic with the rubble from buildings no longer standing after bombings, devastated homes with gaping holes and torn families still inhabiting them, as well as the empty ones, fled by frightened families if they'd had the time. Despite the prevalent despair surrounding them, kids were playing tag, laughing, and singing nursery rhymes; expressing their innocence if only for a while. The children momentarily stopped upon seeing the troops coming. They were intrigued maybe, but most likely scared of what was to come. It made Joss' heart break. It made her long for her son back in America. She missed him so much. It pulled at her maternal side; she wanted to hug them and tell them she was here to protect them, but after four years she began to think it sounded like a lie.

They were getting closer to their target; their pace was fast, their coordinated walk beating out a sinister rhythm. Joss could see the anguish in some of the people faces, the fear in others. She heard men and women praying and the laughter of children mingling with her increasing heartbeat. A hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"You okay there?" came Parker's distinctive gravelly voice. She'd fallen behind without realizing it and needed to pull herself together. Parker would never judge her for her momentary display of vulnerability, but the others weren't as kind. She straightened and offered him a brief smile of gratitude.

"I'm good," she assured. He flashed a quick smile and squeezed her shoulder, lingering a few seconds longer. Their exchange had been brief; she'd doubted if any of their comrades had even picked up on it. They resumed their pace, staying slightly behind on purpose this time.

When they finally reached their target, a bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't quite place it but something was amiss, it just didn't feel right.

"It's all yours, Carter." Her superior motioned for her to enter.

She'd been the one pointing them in the right direction and she got to see for herself whether she'd been right instead of waiting for a confirmation as she always did. Parker moved before her to offer her cover with his weapon drawn ready to aim and shoot. He entered the building, sweeping the area until satisfied it was safe enough for her to come in.

They took in their surroundings. It was a makeshift morgue, with bodies littering the floor and cut-off limbs on operating tables, most of them uncovered, except for one table in the far corner of the room. Her curiosity now piqued, she moved in that direction closely followed by her escort. She took a deep breath, silently praying her instincts were right and pulled off the sheet to reveal pounds of explosives stacked together. Feeling triumphant she followed Parker has he headed out of the premises. The rest of the team had to seize the explosives and her presence was not needed. She was a couple of short steps behind him when he set foot just outside the threshold.

Then she heard it.

A click.

Death.

She barely had time to register the sound when she saw Parker turn to dust right before her. The force of the blast lodged something sharp into her lower abdomen, but the pain was nothing compared to her distress. In a blink of an eye, she'd lost an esteemed colleague, a friend. She could hear shouting in the distance, barking of orders, crying, and distraught screams. She wanted to move, to help, but couldn't. She was pinned to the ground, weak‒ too weak. She was bleeding out at an impressive rate and could feel life seeping out of her until she surrendered to the darkness, her last thoughts on her son.


End file.
